Could've Been, Would've Been
by A. Zap
Summary: Catra worries when she walks into Adora's room to find her crying, but becomes less so when she finds out the reason. However, there may be a reason to be worried after all. Femslash February Day 25: Heartbreak


As Catra entered Adora's room, the first thing she heard was crying.

Her hackles immediately raised, and she quickly scanned the room.

Adora crying meant that something was wrong, but there were no visible threats - oh.

Adora looked up from where she lay on her bed, tears trailing down her face as she tried to prevent them from falling on her book.

Catra groaned and she sheathed her claws. She threw a dark glare at Adora's book. "Jeez, don't scare me like that, Adora."

Adora sniffed in response. "Sorry," she wiped the tears away, "didn't mean to."

"Yeah," Catra plopped down beside her, "what are you reading anyway that got you this worked up? Some great tragedy?" She knew it probably wasn't that. They had enough tragedy in their real lives that they both tended to avoid it when they did something with their free time.

Still, Catra couldn't help the face she made when Adora held it up. It was obviously a romance novel, Catra could tell just from the cover. Bow and Scorpia had bonded over them, and they kept on trying to make everyone else read them, too. Catra didn't really have the patience for them. She was fine with romance on the side, but when it was supposed to be the focus of the story she couldn't even get through a quarter of the story without feeling the urge to smack the protagonists into not being as dumb as they were acting, actually talk, and get together. So many of these things were built on the stupidest of misunderstandings. Catra hated them.

She also knew that while Adora wasn't as upfront about it as those two, she did enjoy her romance novels.

"So what about this could make you all teary?" Catra asked as she took the book from her and flipped to where Adora had been reading.

_"__We can't be together." Mousina pulled away from her, tears in her eyes._

_"__Why not?" Honora reached out towards her, but was shocked as Mousina slapped her hand away._

_"__You know why!"_

_"__But I love you!"_

_"__Then you are a fool." Mousina's eyes narrowed. "We're on opposite sides. We can't keep sneaking out to see each other like this. It will ruin us both."_

_"__Then leave them!" Honora reached out once more and took Mousina's hands. "You're more than all of this, you can do better! You're not a bad person, Mousina…"_

_The tears began to drip down Mousina's cheeks. "Maybe once that was true. Maybe if I had left when you did, I still could be." She stepped back, leaving Honora clutching thin air. She swiftly wiped the tears away, no longer looking at her. "But I'm in too deep. I've done too much."_

_"__We can fix this! Come with me and - "_

_"__No." Mousina's voice turned cold. "We can't."_

_She leapt into the frame of the window, her curling tail the only sign of her regret. Mousina gave Honora one last glance._

_"__Next time we meet on the battlefield, be prepared to kill me, Honora." She jumped away into the night._

_"__Mousina!"_

Catra snorted. "Really." Her gaze flicked up at Adora. "This is what's got you blubbering?"

"It's sad, Catra!" Adora protested, grabbing the book back. "They used to be friends and they almost got together, but now they're on separate sides of a war!"

"So what?" Catra rolled her eyes. "It's all gonna work out, isn't it? These types of books always do."

Adora was surprisingly quiet at that comment, eyes downcast and a frown crossing her face.

That made Catra sit up. "Adora?"

"Actually, I'm re-reading this." Adora said, tapping the cover of the book. "And it - it doesn't really have a happy ending. This actually _is_ a tragedy, at least for them."

Catra frowned. "What happens?"

Adora clutched the book to her chest. "Mousina sacrifices herself to save Honora in the final battle, turning against her evil boss at the last moment. She tells Honora how she really feels with her last breath, and Honora manages to win and save the day, but she couldn't save the person she loved."

"Oh." Catra really didn't know what to say to that.

"And I keep reading it, hoping that the ending will somehow change, that it'll get better, but - " Adora's voice cracked and Catra realized that the tears were back. "What's the point of winning if you lose those you love?" She was almost full out crying now, and Catra couldn't have that.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." She reached out and rubbed her arm. "It's just a story, Adora. It's okay."

Adora shook her head. "It's _not_ just a story."

"Adora - "

"This could've been us!"

Catra stilled at Adora's outburst. She realized that Adora was trembling.

"This could've been us. It almost _was_ us, and if you hadn't decided to turn against Hordak - " Adora's breath caught on a sob.

Catra turned over what she had read and what Adora had said about this story.

Oh.

Oh, now she could see it.

"Adora…" Catra took Adora into her arms, positioning her so her head rested right above where her heart beat. "The thing is that they are not us."

Adora jerked slightly at that, but she quickly settled as Catra gently petted her hair.

"Yeah, you're right, that could've been us, but it isn't. I'm right here." Catra continued, pulling Adora as close as she could. "We made different decisions. We won't end up like them."

Adora took a shuddering breath, but she nodded and finally began relaxing against Catra.

Catra focused on comforting Adora, but her mind was already elsewhere.

After all, she couldn't promise that they wouldn't end up like the two doomed lovers in Adora's story. War was unpredictable and Catra couldn't predict what the future might bring. They fought with their lives on the line practically everyday, and she wasn't sure that she could ensure that they wouldn't become a tragedy.

But if she'd learned anything from Adora, from her friends, from everything that she'd been through, it was that she could not give up hope.

So Catra would hope for the best while preparing for the worst, and in the meantime, she'd soothe Adora's heartache over what could've been.

* * *

**Bonus:**

"You know, it you don't like the ending, we can just rewrite our own version."

"You can do that?"

"Scorpia does it when she finds endings too sad, so I guess."

"Yes, please."

* * *

_AN: I headcanon that Bow and Scorpia click instantly once they're on the same side, so if you're noticing that they seem to do a lot together in a post-redemption arc world, that's why._

_Anyway, not a lot to say about this one, except the Honora and Mousina route is a possibility I feel for how Adora and Catra could turn out (though I doubt it since it's a kids' show). They are like the second worse case scenario for them (with the worst being no type of reconciliation or attempts at redemption). If you feel like the names are a bit on the nose, well, that just seems to be how names work in this world. You'll be getting some more of that tomorrow as well._

_ Also, Scorpia write fan fiction, and now Adora and Catra do too._

_Later note: The time for Scorpia and Bow friendship is now, y'all!_


End file.
